Process of making tires.



E. T. GREENFIELD.

PROCESS 0F MAKING TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.V17,`1907.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEY J E. T.. GREENFIELD.

PROCESS 0E MAKING TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.17,1907.

Patented Jan. 12, E909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Y EDWIN rr. GREENrutti), or xraMEsnA, NEW roux.

l PRQCESS OF. MARIN@ ITEMS.

,.Speccation of Lettera Patent.

= Patentes Jam-.12, ieee.

Application ledvJanuary lf, 1907. Y vSerial l\o'. v 352,692.

-To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN T. GREEN- FIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kiamesha, in the county of Sullivan and State of New York, have invented a `certain new and useful Processes of Making Tires, of which the fol- Improvement in lowing is a specification.

these parts being supported and pressed outl openings in the armoring, thesevparts being.

wardly from the center of the wheel by a suitable resilientv portion, preferably an inflated. tube. ln tires of this type having a; metallic armoring 'and parts extending .through openings therein and movable .relatively thereto, l have found it of great iniportance that the armoring be not only metallic to affordample protection for the inflated tube but that it be also quite flexible,

1 and l therefore make the armoring of a plurality of metallic plates of comparatively small size each interlocked with and movable relatively to the plates adjacent thereto.

My invention involves the combination of a metallic armoring possessing ample flexibility and movable parts extending through supported on the inflated tube and their movement affording resiliency.`

lt also involves the process of maki such atire, which, broadly considered, consists in v spiraling one or more strips of metal to form a tube, cutting this tube in half longitudinally and using the proper length of each half to form an armoring.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is aseotional elevation of aspirally formed tube; Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same, out to form two armorin s; Fig. 3 is atransverse section of one of t e two parts shown in Fig.` 2 sha ed to the form required for an armoring; i 4 is a transverse section of the completed armoring; Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of a portion of a wheel having my improved tire thereon; Figf is a transverse section of the same; Fig. 7 is a top view of the tire; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the movable parts;` and Figs. 9 and 10 are views illustrating a modification.

Referring first to Figs.. lI to, 4, the tube from which the armoring is formed consists of one or more strips suitably curved transversely and spirally-formed so thatthe adjacent edges ofthe strips interlock. In Fig. l, the tube A is shown as consistingoi' two strips can', eachhaving folds at its edges, the folds on the strip a lyingon the outer side thereof and those onthe strip a en the inner side. The lateral curving andthe spiral forming of the strips may be performed on a suitable tube-making machine, as, for instance, that shown in my Patent No. 630,502. lt will be seen that the tube thus formed is of metal and can` be readily flexed in any direction. The tube thus formed is cut longitudinally to provide the two halves B, B', as shownin Fig, 2, anda suitablelength of each oi' these halves is used to form an armoring. The original tubeA may have Aan `internal diameter substantially the same as the exterior diameter of the inflated tube of the tire, it it is desired to have the armoring lie snugly upon the ini ilated tube, but l prefer to make provision for spaces between the armoring and the inilated tube into which the tube may ll when it is depressed. v For this purpose, linake the interior diameter of the tube A considerably greater than the exterior diameter of the inflated tube, and bend each of the halves B, B, to a U-shaped cross-section, substantially as shown in Fig. 3, from which it will be seen that the armoring hasv a lcentral portion b and flanges b jat the sides of this central ortion,which when the armoring is applie to the wheel extend inwardly one on either side of the inflated tube. By reason of the greater diameter of the tube A, these flanges b will extend inwardly of the wheel beyond the center line of theinflated tube. The ends of the flanges -b are turned over upon themselves, as shown in Fig. 4, either simultaneousl with the operation of bending the part from a semicircular to a U- shaped cross-section or in a subsequent op eration. 0n account of the interlock between the several platesv forming the armoring, this turning over of the ends of the flanges b serves to reclude any movement of any one of the p ates transversely. The armoring thus formed has a lurality of open-l ings cut therein, through willich the movable parts are to extend, as shown in Fig. 4. The

' tively to the plates adj'acent thereto.

size and shape of these openings may be varied as desired.

In Figs. 5, 6 and 7 I have shown the armoring applied over an iniiated tube, the latter being mounted upon the rim of a wheel. In, these, drawings, C indicates the s okes of the wheel, C the rim and D the inated tube. Instead of the inflated tube, an uninflated tube or a solid rubber tire may be used. E, IE, indicate the movable parts supported on the tread of the inllatedtube D and extending through the openings formed 'in the plates ofthe armoring B. One of these parts is shown in perspective view in F ig. 8, fromwhich it will be seen that the art has at its base a flange e of greater diameter than that of the opening through the armoring B, so that the part cannot move through the opening.A The part E may be made of metal or a rubber composition,`or may consist of a metallic casing having a rubber stud held therein.

Figs. 9 and 10 show a slight modification of the form of tire illustrated in the preceding figures, the difference lying in the shape of the openings in the armoring and the shape of the movable parts extending therethrough. In these figures, the movable parts E are of oblong cross-section. In either of the two forms of tires, the projecting parts are pref.

erably staggered, as shown in Figs. 7 and 9. With this form of tire, it will be seen that an armoring is provided which possesses great iiexibility, as -it consists of a great number of comparatively'small plates, which are interlocked so as to be freely movable one rrjelae requisite resiliency is afforded by the movement of the parts E vradially of the wheel, these parts being moved inwardly, depressing the tube D, by obstructions of any kind in the roadway, and outwardly to their normal positions again by the tube D as soon as the obstruction is assed. In any case where movement of t e parts E tol such position that their ends are flush with the surface of ythe armoring is not sufficient, the obstruction ecaisi in the roadway will engage the armoring and depress it, this being permitted by the fleXibility of the armoring. By employing the process of making the armoring herein described, namely formin a tube by spiraling metallic strip, dividing t is tube in half longitudinally and using a suitable length of each half to form an armoring, the cost of the latter is materially decreased. A further saving in the cost of the complete tire results from the fact that the protection afforded by the metallic armoring permits of using a less expensive form of rubber tube.

Having now described my invention, what .I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows l. The process of making a tire, consisting of bending strip-metal laterally, forming said strip-metal spirally into a tube with the edges of adjacent convolutions interlocking, cutting said tube longitudinally, turning the edges of the armoring thus formed to interlock the endsy of adjacent plates thereof against relative movement in the direction of the length of the plates and applying a suitable len th of the armoring about a resilient tube, su stantially as set forth.

2. The process of making a tire, consisting of bending stripemetal laterally, forming said strip-,metal spirally into a tube with the edges of adjacent convolutions interlocking, cutting said tube longitudinally into two substantially equal parts, bending a suitable length of one of said parts from an arc-shaped to a U-shaped cross-section, turning the edges of said part so asv to interlock the ends of adjacent plates thereof against relative movement in the direction of the length of the plates,

and applying said part about a resilient tube to form an armoring therefor, substantially' as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 14th day ofJanuary, 1907.

EDWIN T. .GREENFIELD p* Witnesses: S. O. EDMoNDs, D. J. EDMoNDs. 

